


Date of Birth

by ami_ven



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Community: writerverse, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-18
Updated: 2016-04-18
Packaged: 2018-06-02 23:10:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6586645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ami_ven/pseuds/ami_ven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony’s daily calendar needs some adjusting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Date of Birth

**Author's Note:**

> written for LJ community "writerverse" prompt "save the date"

Tony Stark’s calendar was ridiculously full. Even with Pepper running Stark Industries full-time, he still had a lot of work to do— meetings to attend, development deadlines to meet, publicity events for SI and the Avengers— and having JARVIS to keep his schedule meant that even his days off were never blank, even if they only said things like ‘ _team dinner_ or _movie night_ or _thing with Bruce_.

But the entire day of Tony’s birthday was empty.

Steve thought that maybe the genius was just being spontaneous, leaving his day open to whatever he decided to do, but the closer it came without Tony mentioning any plans, he started to wonder.

“I know this is probably a little weird,” said Steve, when Pepper smiled and ushered him into her office. “But I’d like to talk about Tony.”

“Our lives as a whole are weird,” she replied, still smiling. “Tony and I have both moved on, and we’re happier for it.”

Steve ducked his head. “You think so? Me and Tony, I mean.”

“I know so,” she replied. “And I guess that’s what you’re here about?”

“There’s nothing written on his birthday,” Steve blurted. “On his calendar. I thought that meant we’d just… hang around, but now I’m wondering.”

Pepper shifted some papers on her desk. “I know you were a friend of Howard’s,” she said, softly. “And I never knew him, except through Tony. So, with both of our biases in mind, you understand that Tony had something of a difficult, and _public_ childhood. His birthday wasn’t a time to have cake and present with friends, it was a PR opportunity for Stark Industries and his presents almost always had strings attached.”

“Things like that, makes me feel like I never knew Howard, either,” said Steve. “But he died when Tony was a teenager.”

“And Tony has spent most of his birthdays since then in various states of inebriation,” said Pepper, sounding half fond and half disapproving. “Including the one where he had a fight with Rhodey, while they were both wearing Iron Man suits.”

“That recently?” Steve asked.

Pepper reached out to lay her hand on his wrist. “The team’s helped, more than you even know, _especially_ you, Steve. But Tony doesn’t exactly trust birthdays. If he’s not planning a blow-out bash— which I doubt, don’t worry— then he probably plans to stay in his lab, pretending it’s not his birthday at all.”

He frowned. “That’s terrible. I just… Tony is special, he deserves somebody doing something special for him. Something between a spectacle and nothing.”

“Yes, he does,” said Pepper. “And I have an idea…”

The rest of their team was happy to get along, clearing their own schedules to arrive at the tower in time for dinner. Thor had cooked, with Darcy’s help, eager to explore ‘Midgardian comfort foods’, while the others set up the dining room, and from the stunned, pleased look on Tony’s face when Steve coaxed him up from his lab, Pepper had been absolutely right.

“Happy birthday, Tony,” said Steve, squeezing his hand.

The other man smiled, soft and genuine. “Yeah,” he said. “Yeah, I think it is.”

THE END


End file.
